


Stolen (revisited)

by Dmarie1985



Category: Nina Dobrev - Fandom, Original Work, chris wood - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmarie1985/pseuds/Dmarie1985





	1. Prologue

**"God I feel old."**

I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend Molly's comment from behind the dressing room curtain.

"Why? You're not even 30 yet," I reminded her as I flipped through the pages in a bridal magazine while I waited for her.

"Yet," she echoed. "But seriously, Rach, it feels like yesterday we were seven and playing Barbies in your basement and now I'm helping you pick out bridesmaids dresses for your wedding!"

Excitement rushed through me when I looked down at my engagement ring as it glistened under the fluorescent lights overhead. I thought back to when my fiancé, Chris, gave it to me almost a year ago and grinned like a schoolgirl.

It was the kind of proposal every girl could dream of: Key West at sunset, rose petals and candles aligning a pathway to a secluded table right next to the water where a romantic dinner for two was waiting. How could anyone say no to that?

With only a couple months til the big day, I was relieved the majority of my wedding plans were almost finished. Finding bridesmaids dresses was one of the final major decisions I had to make before all the last minute stuff.

When the blue velvet curtain rustled out of the corner of my eye, I sat up straight in my seat, ready to see the dress that she was trying on.

"I don't know about this one," she started. "It makes me look pregnant."

"Let me see it. It can't be that bad." I stood up and pushed the curtain aside. It was a dress that the sales woman picked out when we walked in. I told her we'd try it on just to be nice, but I knew it wasn't going to work.

I originally told my bridesmaids they could pick a dress they liked as long as it was a shade of purple to match my theme. But when my future mother-in-law expressed her distaste for that idea and suggested that all my girls wear uniform dresses, I bit my tongue to make her happy and asked Molly to be my model while we searched for something.

Molly put her hands on her hips and grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. She was right about the dress. It poofed out in the mid section and made her look like she was 8 months along.

"Okay, this one is a no," I decided. "If it wasn't for the poof it might be great."

"Yeah, but I don't feel like having your family judge me all night and wondering why I'm doing tequila shots with a baby in my belly."

When she spun around and moved her long auburn hair to one shoulder I unzipped the back of the dress for her before selecting the next dress off the rack.

"Can you believe ten years ago at this time we were going shopping for our senior prom dresses?" I laughed as I slipped the poofy dress onto its hanger when she handed it to me.

"Oh my god! The prom was the best, wasn't it?" she began, but then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Well...minus that one thing that happened."

"Almost happened," I quickly corrected her. "And we don't talk about that, remember?"

When she stepped out from behind the curtain, she sensed I was uncomfortable talking about prom night and quickly changed the subject.

"So, do we like this one?" She spun around, letting the mesh fabric at the bottom swish back and forth.

"It's not bad. We can put it aside as an option for everyone else to try on too," I shrugged.

When she disappeared back behind the curtain, I glanced at the time on my phone and the ten or twelve remaining dresses left on the rack. Since we were doing this on my lunch break, I didn't have much time to be at the dress shop all day, so I browsed through the dresses and picked only a few more for her to try on.

"We may need to speed things up a bit," I announced. "I'm interviewing someone at 2 and I still have to run home and grab my clothes for Zumba later."

"No problem," she answered. "I have to meet a new client this afternoon anyway and I have to stop at my office first. Apparently this guy is a hot and single chiropractor."

She smiled seductively and raised her eyebrows when she stepped out from behind the curtain. Her job as a real estate agent has introduced her to a lot of successful, good looking men and many of her ex boyfriends have been clients of hers so it was no surprise that she planned on sizing this guy up.

"He's selling his house downtown and wants to buy property next to the ocean. I haven't met him yet, but I heard he's gorgeous," she excitedly smiled.

"Well, if you two hit it off, he can be your plus one."

\---

**My apartment complex** was eerily empty when I pulled into the tree-lined parking lot. With the exception of a handful of retired couples, most of my neighbors were young professionals, like myself and Chris, and were at work during the day.

Chris worked for his father's architecture firm as one of the lead project managers right out of college. He loved his job; his eyes would always light up whenever he'd talk about it and I was so proud of him for all the hard work he did.

He had this amazing talent of visualizing things in his head and could throw plans together for a new building within an hour with measurements and all kinds of different specs. I don't know how he did it. I didn't think like him. He was a numbers person, where I dealt better with people.

That's why I worked in HR. I recently got promoted to HR director at Shell Island Resort. I had 60 full and part time employees under my belt. It wasn't an easy job, but I absolutely loved it. I started working there when I turned 17, starting at the front desk and working my way up through the ranks. It was like home to me and the staff were like my family. I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

Chris' Jeep was in the parking lot when I arrived at our building. Since he was normally in the office in front of a computer screen for most of the day or visiting project sites, I was surprised to see he was home. Figuring he ran home to grab something he had forgotten like myself, I took this as an opportunity to get some face time with him since he worked late most days and I didn't get to see him as much as I wanted.

My stomach did a somersault as I climbed the stairs to our floor. Even after five years together, I still got butterflies when I knew that he was close by.

It's safe to say I fell head over heels from the moment I saw him.

It wasn't just his good looks that swept me off my feet though. Sure, it was hard for anyone to resist his baby blue eyes, solid body, perfect smile, dimples and jaw that could cut glass. But beyond all that, it was his southern boy charm that got to me the most.

His dad's company hosted some event at the hotel the night we met and I was working in the banquet department at that time. I was sporting a black and white uniform that wasn't the most flattering outfit I'd ever worn. It was way too bulky and didn't do a thing for my already small chest.

Even though I didn't feel like the most beautiful person ever, I still remember the way my heart stopped when he looked at me for the first time. It was like I was the only woman on earth. I could only give him a faint smile and ran back into the kitchen because I was so nervous.

When the event was over and I was cleaning up, he came up to me and asked if I needed help because I was struggling with a few trays of leftover food. We went out for drinks the next night and the rest was history.

"Babe? It's me," I called out as I slid my key out of the lock and stepped into the apartment.

It was a small, but newly remodeled one bedroom. The 800 square foot layout suited us well. We didn't have many belongings yet that we needed space for. We had talked about building a house in the area after the wedding, but that was all depending on if we found the right amount of land to build on.

"Hi!" Chris exclaimed, looking like a deer caught in the headlights when he poked his head out of the kitchen and saw me standing in the doorway. He ran his fingers through his short dirty blonde hair and scratched the back of his neck as he made his way over to me to give me a kiss on the cheek.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins so when I saw that he wasn't alone. Leaning up against the counter in my kitchen, was his assistant, Emily. She couldn't have been more than 24 years old. I'm sure her long blonde hair, perfect complexion and huge chest played a role in her getting the job a little less than a year ago. It certainly wasn't her brain. That's probably mean to say; she was a nice girl, always super friendly to me and I'm sure she meant well, but she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Hey Rachel!" Her high pitched voice rattled my eardrums. She politely smiled and waved as she pushed herself to her feet.

"What are you doing home?" Chris choked, a light sheen of sweat reflecting on his forehead.

"I came home to get my stuff for Zumba later. What's going on?" I asked, looking at Emily who was sipping from a glass of water and staring at the magnets on my refrigerator.

Chris crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his feet while he fumbled with his words.

An uneasy feeling settled in my gut. I knew when someone was lying. I dealt with people all day long. Neither of them would look directly at me. I didn't like this. Not at all.

"Oh, yeah. We were at the high rise on Water Street to see how things were going and on the way back, Emily mentioned she was looking for a new apartment because her rent just went up."

"Yeah. He said how great this place was and I wanted to see it," she chimed in, her icy blue eyes lighting up with a spark. "I love it here! And the pool is gorgeous." She nervously looked at Chris who was chewing on his bottom lip so hard I'm surprised he didn't break the skin.

I smiled and nodded, acting like I completely understood why she was here as my eyes wandered around the living room. Something still didn't feel right. Why were they so on edge?

And then I saw it. Something that made my entire world come to a standstill. Every limb on my body went numb and I was surprised I was still able to stand on my own two feet. It felt like I had just gotten off the world's tallest rollercoaster.

Bile rose from the pit of my stomach and into my esophagus when I realized what I was staring at.

Right in the middle of my couch, clear as day, were pink lacy underwear. And they did not belong to me.


	2. Like a Breath of Fresh Air

_Rachel:_

**"I need a vodka cranberry,"** I told the smiling flight attendant when she parked her drink cart in the narrow aisle next to my seat and asked if I wanted a drink.

The middle aged woman sitting beside me gave me the same condescending look my mother would have given me if she was on this flight. I didn't acknowledge her as she ordered her coffee. It was none of her damn business why I was ordering alcohol on a flight that took off at 6:30am.

"Going on vacation?" she assumed, eyeing my cocktail as she stirred powdered creamer into her styrofoam cup.

"I have a work conference to go to in LA," I flatly told her with a small smile before sticking earbuds into my ears and leaning my head against the back of my seat.

I knew she wasn't making conversation just because we were stuck next to each other for the next four hours. But I didn't feel like sharing my life story with this woman. Mostly because my life had turned into a train wreck over the last couple weeks.

After I found out that Chris was cheating on me, I told him the wedding was off and kicked him out of our apartment. He said he'd go stay with a friend until he found another place, but I had a suspicion that he went to stay with Emily. He packed a small duffel bag with some clothes to last him a little while, but most of his belongings remained with me in his absence.

Having a constant reminder of him every day was starting to make me sick. He was everywhere I turned; shirts that still smelled like his favorite cologne when I opened the closet, family photos, his stupid baseball card collection, his favorite coffee mug from our first vacation together. Deep down, I wanted to burn it all as some form of payback. Instead, the mature adult in me got a hold of his brother and let him know Chris could come move the rest of his shit out while I was going to be out of town.

On top of dealing with Chris moving out, there were also a million wedding plans to cancel and 100+ guests to call, but I had no strength to do any of it. All I really wanted was to crawl into a hole to live out the rest of my miserable days on earth, but people like Molly and my mother wouldn't let that happen.

They forced me to go on this work trip that I had planned for a few months to give myself some time away from everything at home. They said they would take care of the wedding cancellations for me and that I should just enjoy my time away.

I could only hope this trip would allow me to clear my head and make me feel a little more like myself.

\---

**My eyes burned** with exhaustion when I returned to my room after the last conference session of the day ended. I had been so busy from the second my plane landed earlier today, I didn't realize how tired I was til I had a minute alone.

Since the opening night networking reception wasn't for a couple more hours, I flopped down on the fluffy queen sized bed and tried to rest for a few minutes. But after all the information I had processed during the conference sessions today on top of everything else I had going on, my brain wouldn't shut off.

It was hard not to wonder what my life would have been like if I never went home the day I discovered Chris cheating on me. But how much longer would I have been walking around completely oblivious? Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Because what if I didn't find out til after we were married? How stupid would I feel six months or a year after we said 'I do'?

If there were any warning signs that he was being unfaithful, I was blind enough to not see them. And that's surprising because I worked in Human Resources. Whenever someone's temperament changed, I'd usually pick up on it. Maybe hiding the truth just came as second nature to him. Maybe our whole relationship was a big fat lie.

When I was fed up with trying to get comfortable in bed, I stood to my feet and took a peek out of my hotel room window to see what the view was like. Even though I was in one of the most glamorous places in the world, there wasn't much to brag about. Just a bunch of tall buildings and cars aligning the street below with five o'clock traffic. It really looked like any other city.

I had only been to Los Angeles once before, but I didn't have much time to see the sights then and I didn't expect to see any this time around. The last time I was in town was 2 years ago to attend a restaurant opening for a good friend of mine, Derrick McHale.

He and I grew up together in our home town of Wilmington, North Carolina, but he moved to California right out of college to work for Bobby Flay in one of his restaurants. I thought he was joking when he told me he was going to open a place of his own, but I knew it had been a dream of his since we were younger, so I wanted to go and offer my support.

I had mentioned to him on several occasions that I was going to be in town for this conference, but he most likely forgot about it. He was always so busy with work, he probably didn't even have time to shower every day let alone memorize my work schedule.

With the exception of holidays and special occasions, he rarely visited home anymore. As a matter of fact, the last time I saw him in person was at Thanksgiving and that was almost 5 months ago. My stomach did a little backflip when I hovered over his number in my phone. We have always been pretty close, but I hadn't told him about what happened with Chris yet and I had no idea how he was going to react.

\---

_Derrick:_

**"Well, that was fun,"** the blonde I brought home - I think her name was Natalie, breathlessly remarked as she covered herself with my bed sheet.

Funny how modest she was being all of a sudden, when just minutes before she had no reservations about me seeing her naked.

"Yeah," I casually replied and picked up my underwear before shuffling to the bathroom that was located adjacent to my bedroom.

My condo was fairly large for just one person, but I did have a roommate at one point and it was perfect for the both of us. When Andre, who is now my business partner, moved out to live with his boyfriend at the time, I'd considered finding a smaller and more affordable apartment by myself, but I just couldn't give this place up. The landlord gave us a great deal on an end cap unit with a newly remodeled kitchen, wall to wall hardwood flooring and washer/dryer included.

After disposing of the condom I had just used and splashing my face with cold water, I glanced at myself in the mirror above the sink. I couldn't help but notice how my habitual one night stands were taking a toll on my appearance. I had just turned 28 a month ago, but sometimes I felt like an 80 year old.

As if working fourteen hour days, six days a week at the restaurant I owned wasn't enough to wear me down, instead of catching up on sleep, most nights I found myself at the bar just a few blocks from my house after closing down the restaurant to rest my tired feet and kick back with a cold one.

Since I didn't live far from the campus of UCLA, I'd often meet a lot of college girls who were out looking for a good time. They couldn't believe when I would tell them I worked for Bobby Flay for a number of years and now own a successful restaurant. For some reason, girls go crazy for a man who can cook.

My parents didn't raise me to bring home so many random girls with no intention of seeing them past the first night, but I was in no position to settle down like so many of my friends around my age were doing. They were all getting married, having babies and buying houses while I worked literally all the time. I tried the whole relationship thing a few different times, but they all ended in heartbreak and it didn't seem worth it to me.

Natalie was resting comfortably on my pillow when I returned to my bedroom. She smiled at me just like she did when we met at the bar a few hours before, but I didn't pay her any mind this time. Instead, I slipped on my t-shirt and retrieved my phone from the night stand.

"I'll let you get dressed," I said to her, hinting at the fact that I didn't want her to stay overnight with me. "I'll be in the kitchen when you're done."

"Be there soon," she replied before I disappeared to fix myself something to eat. I didn't get much time to have dinner at the restaurant earlier and I was starving.

After requesting an Uber to take Natalie back to campus, I glanced at my messages on my way to the kitchen and saw that I had a text from Andre and a missed call and voicemail from Rachel Wallace, a friend of mine from back home in North Carolina.

She and I met when we were only 6 years old after she moved to my neighborhood with her mom and stepdad. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since, even though we now live on opposite sides of the country. She stayed in our hometown after college and is going to be getting married in a couple months. I haven't decided on whether or not I'm going to the wedding, but I received an invitation just a few weeks ago.

As I pulled a loaf of wheat bread out of my cabinet, I remembered that Rachel said she was going to be in town for an HR conference that she has to go to for work. I figured that's the reason she was calling. I slabbed two pieces of bread with a giant glob of crunchy peanut butter and felt a rush of excitement about seeing Rachel again. It had been a while since I'd been home and had a chance to hang out with her and I missed her a lot.

"Hey you!" Natalie exclaimed when she emerged from my bedroom wearing nothing but my old UNC t-shirt that fell to her upper thighs. Despite the fact that she looked pretty sexy in it, I hated when girls I brought home got comfortable enough to rifle through my dresser for something to wear after sleeping together like they owned the place.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind while I was bending over to get a bottle of Gatorade from the refrigerator.

"What are you doing?" she murmured, sounding like she was still a little tipsy from the few martinis she had at the bar earlier.

Prying her hands off my waist, I spun around to face her. I could tell she hadn't been with many people, judging from her lack of experience in bed. I think she wanted to see what it would be like to hook up with a stranger from the bar just to cross it off her college bucket list.

"I just needed a snack," I calmly told her, trying to ignore the fact that she was still in one of my favorite shirts. "I got an Uber coming to take you home. It should be here soon so you should probably go put your clothes on."

Her smile faded instantly when she realized I was kicking her out. "What about breakfast in the morning?" she whined, sounding like my five year old niece when she didn't get her way.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," I said before taking another bite of my sandwich.

She stepped back and released a breath of frustrated air. "Forgive me, cause I'm new to this whole one-night-stand thing, but when you asked me to come home with you, I thought you meant for the night."

"I don't do sleepovers. It's a really simple concept, Natalie. We meet at a bar, I take you back to my place, we..sleep together, I do the gentleman thing and call you a cab, you go home and tell your sorority sisters about how you hooked up with an incredibly good looking guy from the bar. And that's it."

"You've done this a few times before, haven't you? How many women do you sleep with?" she wondered, seeming disgusted.

I shrugged. "I like to keep my options open. Look, it doesn't matter. We had fun, and now you have to go. I have a long day tomorrow and I need to sleep and I'm sure you have class or something."

"Fine," she pouted, her shoulders slumping forward. "I'll get my things."

"Make sure you leave my shirt on the bed. It's one of my favorites," I called out to her as she walked back to my bedroom.

She called me an asshole under her breath on her way back to my room, but it didn't bother me. It certainly wasn't the first time a woman has called me that. It probably wouldn't be the last either.

After another bite of my sandwich, I held my phone up to my ear to listen to Rachel's voicemail. I hoped that Natalie would see me on my phone and not say another word to me. It was always so awkward when they were mad at me for kicking them out and I had to put up with their hostility while they waited for their cab.

My heart sped up a little as I waited to hear Rachel's voice. It was always like a breath of fresh air whenever I heard it and I couldn't ever help but smile. But the second I heard the somber tone of her voice when the message started, my heart sank into my stomach.

"Her Der, it's me. I've been running all over the place today and I finally got a chance to sit down and call you. If you haven't forgotten, I'm in town for that HR conference I told you about. I'm just calling cause I really need to see you while I'm here. Something has happened and I just...I need you to make me feel better, if that's even possible."

Her voice cracked like she was on the verge of tears and my stomach immediately twisted in knots. I dropped my sandwich on the counter and leaned against the oven to brace myself for the rest of her message. If there was anything I hated in this world, it was seeing Rachel Wallace upset. I considered Rachel family, so just like she was my own sister, if she was hurting, I was hurting too.

Rachel rarely cried, at least not in front of people, so the fact that she was crying in her message really said something. I ran through possible scenarios in my head trying to figure out what had happened to make her so sad, but to no avail, I came up with nothing. When she sniffled before continuing, I wasn't sure I was ready to hear what she had to say.

"I'm not sure if you heard about it from anyone back home, and I guess I should have called to tell you when it happened; I just wasn't thinking clearly, but Derrick..."

Oh god. Was she pregnant? Did someone die? What was it?

"Chris and I...he cheated on me...and now the wedding is off," she choked through her sobs. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I get home. He's moving his stuff out right now and I have all these wedding plans to cancel now..."

My face became hot with anger, so much so that I could have breathed fire like a dragon. I hated him. I hated him from the second we met. I wanted to get on a plane and kill the motherfucker with my bare hands for hurting her. He ruined the best thing that will ever happen to him.

Then again, a faint light of relief sparked inside of me. I was glad she found out for herself, as much as it must have killed her. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold onto the secret that I knew he had been cheating. The last time I was home for Thanksgiving, I spotted Chris with another woman at a bar and it was pretty clear they weren't just friends. I tried telling Rachel a million times, but I didn't want to be the one to break that kind of news to her.

I half-listened to the rest of Rachel's message, but was too angry to remember most of it. I only got that she was in town for only a couple more days and that she absolutely needed to see me.

Natalie captured my attention from the corner of my eye when she came out of my bedroom dressed in the outfit she had on when we met at the bar. She gave me a side eye while she stormed towards my front door and whipped it open just as a car's headlights shined through my living room window.

"Don't call me!" she spat just before exiting and slamming the door behind her.

"I wasn't planning on it!" I called back, even though she probably didn't hear me.


	3. You're Going to Find Some Lucky Girl

_Rachel:_

**Smoothing my hands** over the cotton fabric of my black sundress, I turned from side to side in front of the floor-length mirror in my hotel room to make sure it looked okay. Since I didn't pack a lot of options for going out at night during this trip to LA, I supposed this casual number would have to do for the evening.

When Derrick and I spoke on the phone earlier this morning, he promised me dinner tonight at his restaurant. After listening to the voicemail I left him, he said he wanted to cheer me up somehow, but he felt bad that he had to work and couldn't hang out. So this was his way of making it up to me. I told him it was fine; I wasn't really in the mood to go out and do much after such a long day.

Besides, Derrick's cooking is out of this world. Anything he makes would be so much better than the mediocre hotel food I've been eating over the last couple days.

When I was satisfied with how my outfit looked, I made my way into the bathroom to freshen up my makeup a little so I wouldn't look like a zombie from 'The Walking Dead'. I certainly felt like one; the mattress in my room wasn't the most comfortable and the air conditioning unit kept kicking on and waking me up throughout the night.

While sweeping some blush on my cheeks, I thought about when Derrick and I were younger and he was in my shoes. Since his first girlfriend cheated on him, I wondered what he'd say to me now that the tables were turned.

He's only had a handful of girlfriends in the years I've known him, but none of them have been very serious. These days he just has one night stands because he says he doesn't have time for anything else. But deep down, I think Derrick wants to find someone to settle down with; he's just afraid of getting his heart broken again.

\---  
_Rachel: 12 years ago_

_"Happy birthday!" My friend Alexis wrapped her arms tightly around my neck when she arrived at my house. "Here, I got you some stuff for the car you're probably getting today," she smiled as she handed me a heavy and brightly colored gift bag with tissue paper sticking out of the top._

_"Thank you, but I'm not getting a car," I replied, disappointment lingering in my voice after the conversation I had with my mom and stepdad, Randy earlier that day. Since my mom was six months pregnant with my stepbrother, money was going to be tight for a little while. "My parents said IF I get my license this summer and a job, that I could have my mom's old car that's stored at my grandparents house, but it's a piece of shit."_

_"Bummer." Her excitement quickly dulled and she gave me a sympathetic look._

_Unlike myself, Alexis passed Drivers Ed with flying colors this past semester and she already had her road test scheduled. There was nothing more depressing than having to rely on my parents or already-licensed friends to chauffeur me around. How was I supposed to find a job without a way to get anywhere?_

_"Either way, I'm sure you can use this stuff eventually," she shrugged and followed me to my backyard where my family and a few other friends were celebrating my birthday._

_"I hope you're hungry," I mentioned from over my shoulder. "Randy made a ton of food. There's soda and water under the tent," then I leaned closer to her and whispered, "My mom said my friends can have some Smirnoff Ice, but don't let my grandma see. She'll never let her hear the end of it."_

_"Yes! I love your mom!" She clapped her hands and grinned excitedly._

_After introducing her to some family members she had never met, Alexis and I joined a few of our friends who were hanging out next to the pool and going through our school's yearbook._

_"Rachel, is Josh Ryan coming?" My friend, Nicole asked once I sat down on a lounge chair. She held up her yearbook to show me a picture of the boy's baseball team in action and pointed to Josh Ryan catching a fly ball._

_My cheeks burned instantly when I looked at the picture for probably the 80th time since receiving my own yearbook a couple weeks ago. All my friends know I've had the hots for him since 8th grade and just recently got the courage to talk to him. So I invited him to my birthday party on the last day of school and he said he'd try to make it._

_"I don't know. I sent him a message on AIM this morning and I haven't heard anything. I hope so. I really want to see him with his shirt off," I giggled like a pathetic schoolgirl._

_Grabbing the book from Nicole and looking more closely at his picture, my stomach did a somersault at the thought of Josh Ryan actually showing up at my house._

_He could be a model if he wanted to. He's one of those guys who doesn't even have to try to be gorgeous; he just is. On top of his perfectly sculpted body, he has these puppy dog brown eyes that can make any girl he looks at want to fall over and a smile that could stop my heart in 5 seconds. I'd give anything to make out with him, just once. If I could muster up enough courage, maybe tonight would be the night._

_"Oh my god did you hear he got a tattoo?" my best friend, Molly exclaimed when the thought popped into her head._

_"No!" My eyes widened in excitement while I pictured the way he looks with ink on his body. "That's so hot. His parents let him get one?"_

_Molly nodded. "That's what I heard. His brother started working in a tattoo shop and Josh was one of his first customers."_

_"I'm going to marry him someday. Just watch and see," I announced proudly and stared dreamily at the sky. "Mrs. Rachel Ryan."_

_"You have to speak more than a few words to him first if you're going to marry him," Molly added, teasing me for the way I clam up when he's around._

_Suddenly, Alexis gasped a little under her breath and froze in place when she saw Derrick McHale walking up to us._

_She had a big crush on him, but didn't want to admit it to anyone. Before Derrick started dating his girlfriend, I tried pushing Alexis to ask him out, but she never wanted to. She only moved to town a few years ago so she didn't know Derrick as well as me, but I know she's his type. With a huge chest, bright blue eyes and mile-long legs, she was every guy's type. If she had played her cards right, she could have been with Derrick instead of his awful girlfriend, Jamie._

_"Hi Derrick! You're late. All the food is gone," Alexis told him as she sat up straight in her seat._

_"Yeah. Sorry. I had to take care of some things. Happy birthday, Rach." He half-smiled as he waved to me._

_"Thanks!" I smiled in return. "Did Randy find you? He wanted to see what you thought of this barbecue sauce he made. I think it sucks, but he was watching The Food Network last weekend and now he thinks he's Emeril Lagasse or something."_

_"No, not yet," he breathed out a slight laugh through his nose. "I snuck in through the garage. I don't think he saw me."_

_Derrick had been working at a downtown restaurant only for a few months. He started bussing tables and washing dishes, but he quickly moved into the kitchen and has been knocking the socks off a lot of customers as well as people who work with him. Now my stepdad thinks he can ask his advice about food he tries to cook himself._

_It was hard not to notice Derrick's unusual appearance today. He looked like he had been hit by a truck. He's usually so well put together, but not now. His shaggy brown hair looked like it hadn't been washed in a few days, his t-shirt which would normally look brand new was wrinkled and stained and the circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept in a while. It was easy to see that he had something going on, but getting him to tell me about it with so many people around would be impossible._

_"I'm surprised you didn't bring Jamie with you," Molly commented and then gave me a side eye. We had just been talking about how stuck up her ass he had been since he lost his virginity to her earlier this year._

_"Lets not go there, okay?" he firmly told her when he sat on the end of my lounge chair._

_"Did you guys break up?" Alexis wondered, looking hopeful._

_I nudged her on the arm and shook my head. Derrick clearly wasn't in the mood to talk about her and Alexis was oblivious to that._

_Derrick was normally a pretty outgoing person, but he didn't have much to say throughout the rest of the afternoon. He'd only talk if someone asked him a question first and he was glued to a game on his phone the rest of the time._

_"Oh I just remembered, I told my mom I'd get another case of water from the basement," I announced as I stood up from the table my friends and I were eating cake at. She didn't really ask me to get more, but I needed an excuse to get Derrick alone for a few minutes. "Derrick, can you come help me? They're heavy."_

_"Someone else can get it," he argued, not looking directly at me._

_"Please?" I leaned over the table and gave him a look that said 'you need to talk to someone' and nodded towards the sliding glass door near my back deck._

_He hesitated for a second but finally gave in when I stared him down. With a groan, he stood up and followed me past the small crowd in my backyard and into the house._

_"Okay, what's wrong with you?" I started when we reached the basement. "You're too quiet. You're never this quiet."_

_"Nothing. I'm fine," he muttered and breezed past me to pick up a case of water sitting next to a pile of baby stuff my aunt gave to my mom a few months ago._

_"Don't lie to me," I scolded him, placing my hand on my hip as he lifted the water in his arms. "Something happened with Jamie. I just know it! You can't hide anything from me, Derrick McHale."_

_Derrick rolled his eyes and set the water on an unused ping pong table in the middle of the basement. "Fine. If you have to know, Jamie and I broke up. She slept with her brother's best friend."_

_"Oh there's a big fat surprise," I replied sarcastically. "God she's such a bitch. I told you she was awful. Didn't I tell you not to go near her in the first place? But did you listen to me?"_

_He cut me off, raising his voice."How are you helping me right now, Rach?"_

_"Sorry," I breathed, crossing the space between us. "I know you liked her. Are you okay? When did it happen?"_

_"I just found out a few days ago." He lifted himself to sit on the table beside the case of water and started gnawing on the inside of his cheek as if he was trying to stop himself from breaking down in front of me. I didn't say anything. Instead I leaned against the wall and let him continue._

_"What's crazy is that I actually told her I loved her." He laughed like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "She said she loved me too and that she couldn't see herself with anyone else. I thought she meant it. I feel like a fucking idiot for believing her. It's like I wasted the last 8 months of my life when I could have been doing other things."_

_Pushing myself to my feet, I joined him on the table and rubbed the top of his back. I've never seen Derrick so upset before. I couldn't imagine what he was going through. I had never been in love before. Sure I'd had breakups, but never like this. I wished I could have kicked her ass for breaking his heart. If there was anyone who didn't deserve this kind of pain, it was Derrick._

_"Look, Der, I know it hurts right now," I softly told him, "but things will get better. Someday, you're going to find some lucky girl, and she'll make everyone who's ever broken your heart just disappear. You'll forget all about this."_

_"Thanks. I hope you're right," he said as he looked up at me._

_Nudging him with my shoulder, I slid off the table. "Come on, my mom said my friends can drink today and you could use a beer."_

_When Derrick stood up to join me, my stepdad's voice hollered from the basement doorway. "Rachel, are you down here?"_

_"I'll be there in a second. I'm getting more water," I called and poked my head in the stairwell, smiling innocently at him._

_He nodded a 'hello' to Derrick who was standing behind me, then narrowed his eyes in my direction. "Who's this Josh guy with the tattoo that just showed up? Please tell me you're not seeing this kid."_

_Even though Randy wasn't my biological father, he's always treated me as one of his own ever since he and my mom got married when I was four years old. My mom had me at a young age and my real dad ran out on her, so I've always appreciated having a father figure around, but he could be really embarrassing when it came to the guys I dated._

_"Josh is actually here?" I squealed, then smiled excitedly at Derrick._

_He only waved his hands in the air as if to say 'big deal' before he picked up the case of water. Derrick knew how into Josh I was, but he'd usually tune me out when I'd talk about him. It's not that he hated Josh, but I'm sure he was sick of me talking about him all the time._

_"Yeah, he's here!" Randy answered when I reached the top of the stairs. "And if you ask me, he looks like a dipshit."_

_"He's a nice guy," I assured him. "You have nothing to worry about. I have excellent taste in boys."_

\---

_Rachel: present day:_

**When I had just started** to brush on some mascara, a text message flashed on my phone out of the corner of my eye.

Immediately my heart jumped into my throat when I looked down and saw that it was from Chris. This was the first time he had contacted me since the day we broke up.

**Where's your car?**

My hands trembled as I dropped my tube of mascara on the counter and picked up my phone. I wasn't sure if I should respond right away, so I scrolled back up through our last few text messages. The most recent one was from the day before I found out he was sleeping with Emily. He had told me he would be late coming home and to eat dinner without him. I cringed when I realized why he was probably late that night and scrolled back to the present message.

Why? I wrote back and sat on the edge of the bathtub while I waited for him to answer.

He responded immediately. I think my golf clubs are in the trunk

My eyes rolled to the back of my head. He treated his stupid clubs like they were his children, so I was surprised he lost track of them. He loved golfing so much that if he wasn't an architect, he'd most likely try to get a PGA Tour card. I don't know what he saw in it. I personally hated golf. He dragged me to the course near our apartment a few times when none of his buddies could play with him, and all I did was sit on the cart and play games on my phone while soaking up the sun.

My fingers tapped on the keyboard as hard as they could because I couldn't believe his first contact with me was about something so stupid. **What am I supposed to do about that? I'm in California til tomorrow**

**OMG I have a tournament tomorrow Rachel!**

I could practically hear the tone of his voice rise with every word. He could act so childish sometimes. I didn't realize it til now, but he whined more than my 11 year old brother.

Before standing to my feet, I typed a quick reply and hoped he'd leave me alone. **That's not my problem! Borrow someone else's**

My face was turning red with anger when I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I took a deep breath and continued putting my makeup on, trying to ignore the fact that he needed me right now. I had to remind myself that he was no longer part of my life and that this wasn't something I should care about.

When I was almost finished getting ready, my phone chimed again.

**Is your car unlocked? Where is it? I can go grab them tonight.**

Groaning, I stopped what I was doing to answer him again. **Yeah it's locked and I have my keys so I guess you're screwed**

**You're really not helping me at all. What am I going to do?**

Now he was pissing me off. I wanted to tell him to stick his clubs up his ass. **I don't care what you do! My days of helping you ended when you decided to put your dick inside someone else**

**Come on Rach....**

**I don't know what else to tell you. Your brother can come get them when I get home tomorrow if you're that desperate**

A notification that my Uber driver was within a few minutes from my hotel appeared on my screen and brought me back to reality as Chris was typing something else, but I didn't bother looking at what he had to say. I was over this conversation. I didn't want to think about him for the rest of the night.

Thankfully, Derrick's restaurant had a fully stocked bar, and I planned on using it to help drown any thoughts of Chris that might pop into my head.


	4. The Devil in a Sundress

_Derrick:_

**"Mitchell, throw some more chops** on the grill then start another risotto," I called out as the ticket printer spat a few orders at me. Since my line cooks were usually busy with orders, it was my job to make sure everyone had what they needed when a new ticket came through.

It was a pretty busy dinner rush for a Thursday night, but it wasn't anything Andre and I weren't prepared for. Business had been picking up like crazy after a recent article in the LA Times called our restaurant, The 910 Grill, "one of LA's best-kept secrets".

"I have five tables on deck for the special so get cracking on that. I'll run in the back and grab you some more eggs and ricotta for the lasagna."

"We need onions too!" Mitchell called to me before I disappeared into the walk-in cooler. I made a mental note to grab a handful of onions from the dry storage area and selected a tub of ricotta cheese off the cooler shelf.

After I passed the ingredients to my cooks, I glanced at the ticket printer and noticed it was blinking a red light.

"God damn this thing," I muttered as I smacked the top of it. Our IT guy said it needed to be replaced because it kept losing connection to our server. Andre usually handles things like this, but it obviously slipped his mind.

Andre and I have known each other since college; he was actually friends with Rachel first before she introduced us. They both went to UNC while I attended a culinary school not far from there. He and I quickly became best friends and when I decided to make the move to California after my senior year, he drove cross-country with me and decided to stay.

Just a few short years after moving to LA, we opened our restaurant and have been a great team ever since. He was usually out in front taking care of the customers and the bar area; he was better with people and the business side of things. It was rare to see him in the kitchen, only when we really needed the help. That's why when I heard his voice, my ears perked up.

"The devil in a sundress is here!" he announced loudly over the clanging of pans and chopping of knives.

Confused as to what he was saying, I looked over my shoulder and did a double take when I saw Rachel standing next to him. I knew she'd be here soon but I didn't expect Andre to bring her into the kitchen.

Immediately my heart sped up when her eyes landed on me. She has always been the epitome of beautiful. Her dark hair fell in subtle waves at her shoulders and her sultry brown eyes creased when she smiled in my direction. She wore a simple black dress that showed off the curves of her 5'5 frame very well. It was hard not to stare.

One of my line cooks muttered something sexual about her under his breath, but I didn't acknowledge it.

"Get over here!" I exclaimed, holding my arms out for a hug as I approached her.

"Hi stranger!" She wasted no time wrapping her arms around my neck. "I missed you." When I squeezed her tight, I buried my nose in her hair, smelling the tropical shampoo she had used earlier today and felt a rush of heat run through me.

"Can I just say how much I love the scruff?" She commented after pulling away. She reached up and touched the bottom of my face and lowered her voice to sound masculine. "So manly of you, Derrick."

Rubbing my unshaven face, I smiled and was thankful the whiskers hid the shade of pink my cheeks were probably turning.

"Yeah, Derrick doesn't have time to shave these days," Andre chimed in. "I keep telling him he looks like a bum."

"Well it looks good. I like it," she reaffirmed with a nod of her head.

"So, are we going out tonight or what? We close up shop here at 11," he told her and glanced at the clock. It was only 7. I'm sure she didn't want to hang around here for four hours.

She shrugged. "Why not? I'm single and ready to mingle."

"Yeah," Andre cheered, throwing his arm in the air. "We'll find you a hot guy to take home for the night. Make you forget all about that lying asshole who broke your heart."

"Well I don't know if I'm ready for a random stranger just yet," she laughed. "But I do need to celebrate my freedom somehow. I've felt like an old dishrag over the last couple weeks."

My eyes fell to her left hand, where the huge engagement ring she wore the last time I saw her was now missing. My jaw clenched when I thought about what Chris did to her. How anyone could lie to someone as wholesome and good-hearted as Rachel was mind boggling to me.

"There's a club a few blocks away that has bands every so often. I'll check their website to see if anyone is playing tonight. Plus, one of their bartenders is gorgeous and I think he's into me so if you're up for it, we could go there," Andre suggested.

"Sounds fun," Rachel smiled then turned to me. "Are you going to come?"

"I don't know," I started, shaking my head. "Clubs really aren't my thing and it's been so crazy tonight, I don't think...."

"Oh come on, Grandpa!" She teased and smacked my arm. "I'm only here one more night. Don't tell me you'd rather sit around an old dirty bar close to your house and hit on college girls."

It was frightening that she knew me so well. I rolled my eyes and rocked back and forth on my heels. "Alright, fine. I'll go. Happy?"

"Good. I'll go see what they have going on tonight," Andre announced as he backed up towards the door to return to the dining room.

"Oh, hey," I called out to him before he opened the door. "The ticket printer lost connection again. We have to call the IT guy first thing tomorrow. Don't forget. I can't keep unplugging it and waiting for it to restart. It takes too long."

"You got it, boss," he joked, giving me a military salute before disappearing into the dining room.

"So, are you hungry?" I asked Rachel, returning my attention to her.

"Starving." Her eyes grew wide as she looked around the kitchen at the food being prepared. "It smells so good in here I'm actually salivating. I had chicken for lunch and it tasted like rubber."

Since the dining room was full and I wanted to selfishly spend a few minutes with her before getting back to work, once I got her a bowl of beef bolognese I led Rachel to my and Andre's small office on the other side of the kitchen.

"Wow, Derrick. Y'all must be doing really well. Is that you two with Kevin Bacon?" she asked and pointed to a picture taped up to the wall next to some articles and reviews about the restaurant.

"Yeah. He's a really nice guy," I told her as I sat in Andre's desk chair and tapped the screen on my phone to see if I had any missed calls or messages. "And 'Y'all'?" I mocked the bit of southern accent that came through in her voice.

"Yeah," she chuckled and took a seat on the desktop next to me. "Don't you say 'y'all' anymore?"

"My inner Red Neck only comes out when I'm home."

"Oh, speaking of home," she exclaimed. "The day before I left to come here, I ran into your sister when I was picking up my brother from school and she told me to tell you that you have to visit soon because Elena and Owen really want to see you."

Clasping my hands behind my head, I leaned back in my chair and closed my tired eyes for a moment. "She knows I can't make it home a lot. It's not like I don't FaceTime with them whenever I get a chance."

"I know, but they probably miss you like crazy. I'm sure things aren't very easy on them since the divorce."

I nodded. "I know."

My sister's divorce from my brother-in-law was still going through the courts and it was more complicated because they couldn't agree on a custody arrangement for their two kids. They tried to leave the kids out of it because Owen was only five and Elena was almost nine, but it was still hard on both of them.

"And not for nothing, but I'd like to see you more often, too." She looked up at me from her plate with wanting eyes and made my stomach do a somersault. "Especially now, given the fact that my life is in shambles."

"I know. I'm sorry, Rach." I sat up and sympathetically touched her hand that was resting on her thigh. "I never did ask how you were handling everything."

She shrugged and looked at her food so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with me. "I don't know, Derrick. I tell everyone I'm fine, but it kind of feels like a nightmare or something. I keep hoping I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal. I hate being in that apartment knowing that's one of the places where they...you know." She shuddered when the thought entered her mind.

It was hard to hold back from telling her that I knew about what Chris was doing long before she did, but now probably wasn't the right time. Besides, I didn't know how she'd react so I just bit my tongue and gently squeezed her hand instead.

\---

_Rachel:_

**When the Foreigner** cover band announced they were going to take a break halfway through their set at the club later into the night, Derrick nudged me with his elbow.

"I'm gonna hit the men's room. I'll stop at the bar on the way back. Do you want another rum and Coke?" he asked, pointing to my watered down plastic cup.

"Yeah. Make it a double!" I shouted when the in-house DJ started playing music in place of the band. Derrick nodded and pointed at Andre to ask him the same thing. When Andre shook his head no, Derrick disappeared into the small crowd of people.

"Are you having a good time, sweetie?" Andre wondered, wrapping his arm around me to draw me into his side.

"Yeah I really am! I needed this. Thank you," I smiled at him and rested my head on his shoulder. "Have you seen the hot bartender you mentioned earlier?"

"No," he pouted. "I think he's off on Thursdays. I'll have to come back tomorrow and see him."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derrick make his way from the bathrooms to the bar and say something to the bartender.

Maybe the liquor I had been consuming for a good part of the night was to blame, but I couldn't help but notice how attractive he had gotten since I saw him last.

While he waited for his order, my eyes wandered down the length of him, discreetly of course. Andre would call me out for sure if he saw me looking at Derrick the way I was. He certainly wasn't the skinny, shaggy haired boy I grew up with.

He was built like a brick wall these days. I didn't think he had time to use the gym, but it sure looked like it judging by the biceps stretching the fabric of his casual v-neck shirt. His short brown hair was tousled in every which way like he just woke up from a night of sweaty, hot sex and the whiskers on his face made his deep blue eyes even more intimidating than usual. My face flushed the longer I watched him so I held my hand up to my cheek to cool it down some.

When Andre loudly cleared his throat to grab my attention, I jumped out of my skin and almost dropped my cup. I wondered how long he had been watching me watch Derrick.

"So, are you going to hook up with him tonight or what?" He bluntly asked, nodding in Derrick's direction with a sly smile on his face.

"What?" I jumped back in shock, my jaw falling to the cement floor at our feet. Andre knew how close Derrick and I were, so I found it completely absurd he was saying this. "Are you kidding me right now? How drunk are you?"

"I'm not drunk - buzzed, maybe. But whatever. He's hot, Rach. You should do it. I'm sure he'd be down for sleeping with you."

"I don't want to sleep with Derrick!" I stammered.

"Then why were you checking him out like he was a slab of beef on a silver platter?"

"I didn't check him out! He's my best friend and I haven't seen him in a while. I was just looking at him," I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

"Bullshit." Andre rolled his eyes. "You're such a bad liar. You need to get laid, girl. Just go up to him and be like," he raised the pitch in his voice and held onto my arm as if I was a guy, "'Derrick can I stay at your place tonight? My hotel room is sooo lonely.'"

"I would never say that. Get out of here!" I shoved him away from me.

"You wouldn't be disappointed. When we lived together, the girls he brought home always seemed very satisfied when they were done. So I'm sure he's good in the sack."

"Ugh! Please don't put those thoughts in my head," I cringed and started walking towards the bar.

"Where are you going?" he called out.

"I need like seven shots of tequila to forget what you just said to me."


	5. You're Like a Two Year Old

_Rachel:_

**When I woke up** the next morning, I felt like I had been hit with a sack of bricks. My head was pounding, ears were ringing, my feet were killing me and I'm pretty sure my knee was bleeding for some reason. The room I was in was way too bright for me to open my eyes, but I knew I definitely wasn't in my hotel room.

The last thing I remembered was doing shots of something that tasted like toothpaste with a couple of college guys at the bar I went to with Derrick and Andre, and then I blacked out.

As I started trying to piece together the rest of the events from last night, I heard a man clear his throat in another room. Oh god, I thought. Was I drugged? Did I go home with one of those frat guys in the midst of my drunken stupidity? And if so, why did Andre and Derrick let me do that?

As I opened my eyes, I had to hold my hand over my head to block the sun streaming in my face from a giant window on the other side of the room. With a groan, I slowly sat up to look at my surroundings to get a sense of where the hell I ended up.

Immediately I realized I wasn't in my dress from last night. Instead, I was wearing a large Carolina Hurricanes t-shirt and grey sweatpants and sitting in a bed covered in light green sheets. My shoes and purse were on the floor in the corner of the room and there was a bottle of water and empty trash can on the floor next to me.

Based on the shirt, I had a feeling I knew where I was. And while I was a little relieved that I wasn't at some random person's house, I was absolutely terrified to face the consequences of whatever did happen last night.

"Derrick?" I called out, my voice hoarse and raspy.

"Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?" Just as I expected, he appeared in the doorway after a minute. But I didn't expect him to be wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. It was quite the wake up call.

My heart sped up as soon as my eyes fell to his bare chest. I don't remember the last time I saw him half naked like this, but I have to admit that I really kind of liked this view.

A small grin spread across his lips when he noticed me gawking at him. He could probably see my cheeks were starting to flush and I'm sure he was getting a kick out of it. I looked away when he stepped into the room and covered myself with the sheet. I didn't want him to see me like this, even if I was fully clothed.

"Uh, hi," I answered, quickly brushing my hair back with my fingers and wiping the mascara that was probably smeared under my eyes. "What the hell am I doing here?"

My eyes quickly scanned his room for a condom wrapper or any other sign that we had sex last night. Even though I told Andre I might be into it, if I actually did sleep with Derrick, I'd die. I would never be able to look him in the eye again.

"You and I didn't like.....you know?" I wondered, pointing between the space between us.

"Are you serious?" He rocked his head back and laughed like it was the most hilarious thing I've ever said. Then he shook his head no as he walked into the room and picked up a shirt off the floor.

"Thank god." I exhaled a sigh of relief that I didn't do anything stupid. "No offense."

"None taken. You just drank too much, Lightweight. I had to bring your sloppy drunk ass back here because you lost your hotel room key."

"Oh my god." I covered my face with my hands. "I'm so embarrassed. I didn't puke on you, did I?"

"No, but you got some on your dress, which is why you're in my clothes. You fought me the whole time I changed you. You're like a two year old when you're drunk, you know that?"

"I'm sorry, Derrick. I feel like an asshole." I tried to stand up, but my whole body felt weak.

Derrick put his hand on my shoulder and told me to sit down while he handed me the water bottle on the nightstand next to me. "Here. Drink this. I'll get you some Tylenol. Do you want anything to eat?"

"I don't think I can," I told him before he disappeared.

The back of my neck felt clammy so I pushed my hair aside and took little sips of water while I waited for him. The time on the clock on his dresser was blurry, but I'm pretty sure it said 10:30. There were a couple morning conference sessions I was supposed to attend before going to the airport for my flight home at 12:45.

"Why did you let me sleep so late?" I yelled to Derrick who was in his bathroom. I had no energy to try to rush back to the hotel. "I'm going to miss my flight now."

"Sorry. It's not like I knew what time your flight left or anything," he started when he handed me two Tylenol. "Just call the airline. I'm sure they can get you on a later flight. You can stay here while you wait."

He sat next to me so he could put a pair of socks on. He must have just taken a shower because the cool, citrusy smell of his soap lingered in the air and his hair was a little damp.

"Or I could always fly home Sunday and make a weekend out of it," I suggested. "It's not like I'm itching to go home to my now half-empty apartment."

He turned his head and smiled at me, a faint light of excitement sparking in his eyes. "Sure. You can stay in Andre's old room if you want. And I'll take the weekend off so we can hang out."

"Are you sure that's okay?" I wondered, knowing how busy he always was. He probably hadn't taken a whole weekend off in years.

"They can manage without me for a couple days. I never get to see you anymore. It will be fun." He smiled and patted the top of my knee before standing up. "Are you sure you don't want toast or anything? You should probably eat something."

"You sound just like my mom," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Sure. I'll try a little toast."

"Alright, I can whip that up really quick, then we can go get your things at the hotel."

\---

_Derrick:_

**"What's up, Big D?"** Mitchell answered, calling me the nickname he made up for me after I tapped the phone button on his contact information in my phone.

Pushing Rachel's laptop bag to the side, I took a seat on the foot of the bed in her hotel room. Since she was taking a shower, I took this opportunity to find someone to cover for me this weekend. Andre told me he didn't mind if I went MIA this weekend as long as someone could take my place managing the kitchen.

Mitchell was the most responsible person working for us so I knew I could trust him to do a good job.

"Hey, do you feel like you want to run the kitchen this weekend?" I asked, grabbing the TV remote and turning the TV on.

"Yeah, I could do that. Why, you're not coming in?"

"No. My friend Rachel is staying in town a couple extra days so I'm going to show her around."

"Oh, really?" he said, sounding a little too excited.

"Yeah, really. So if you could make sure everything runs smoothly tonight and tomorrow, I'd appreciate it. I'm only a call away if you need me."

"Hey, I got you, brother. Besides, if a hot girl like that wanted to spend time with me, I'd drop everything, too."

"Don't call her hot," I snapped, my face heating up a little.

"What, you don't think she is? Are you blind?" he jabbed.

"Alright, alright yeah she is, a little." I agreed just to get him to drop it.

"Have you ever hooked up with her?" he wondered.

"No," I quickly answered as I fiddled with the buttons on the remote.

"Have you ever wanted to?"

"No! Give me a break. I've known her since we were like six." I rolled my eyes and shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

"You mean in the," he did a little math in his head to calculate how long I've known Rachel, "22 years you've known each other, not once did you think about sleeping with her?"

"No. Can we drop it? I gotta go. Call me if something comes up." I quickly hung up the phone when I heard the shower curtain slide open in the bathroom.

It was hard not to picture Rachel toweling off as the steam from the hot water wafted through the air in the small bathroom, but I had to snap out of it fast.

Every guy who has ever laid eyes on Rachel Wallace has been attracted to her, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in that same boat, but she and I don't have the kind of relationship where we question whether or not we should be together just because we're friends. If she and I wanted to be romantically involved, we would have made that happen by now.

In the many years we've known each other, there was only one moment at our senior prom when something almost happened between us, but it ended before anything even started and we haven't talked about it since.

Without warning, Rachel ripped open the bathroom door and ran out in just her towel, making me jump out of my skin. It took everything in me to not look at her as she darted across the room, but the temptation was too strong.

My heart pounded like a hammer as drops of water fell from her wet hair and onto her shoulders and barely covered chest. To give her a little privacy while she rifled through her suitcase, I stared blankly at my phone and pretended I was looking at something important.

"I forgot my shirt," she nervously laughed, holding a piece of light blue material in the air as she sprinted back to the bathroom. "I'll just be a couple more minutes."

"No rush," I told her. "The Chinese Theater and Hollywood sign will be there all day."

Once she came out, she quickly threw her things together into her suitcase and zipped it up.

"Hey, do you remember the prom?" I blurted when she was stuffing the hotel bill into her laptop bag.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard my question and stared blankly at me. I knew she was thinking about the same thing I was, but I was curious to see what she'd say.

"Vaguely," she replied when her body relaxed a little. "I think I was drunk for most of it. Why, did my behavior last night remind you of it or something?"

"No. I just happened to see something Alexis posted on Facebook and it made me think of prom for some reason," I lied. "I know, random," I laughed nervously.

"Very random," she agreed and exhaled a deep breath as she glanced around the room to make sure she didn't leave anything behind. "Ready to go?"


	6. Is Your Dance Card Full?

_Rachel: 10 years ago_

**_"Okay Class of 2007_** , _we're going to slow it down for a few so grab that someone special," The DJ announced as Dashboard Confessional's 'Stolen' started blaring from the speakers._

_Since my on-again-off-again boyfriend, Josh and I broke up for the hundredth time only a few days ago, I was left dateless for the senior prom and I felt really out of place being surrounded by so many couples. I squeezed my way past a few people on the dance floor and returned to my empty table to get a drink of water and rest my tired feet._

_The slow songs they played tonight made my heart hurt. Even though I told Josh we were done for good, being here by myself really made me miss being with him. I'd considered calling him a few times throughout the night, but Molly smacked the phone out of my hands and told me to dance with her date, Brian instead._

_Just as I propped my feet up on the chair next to me, someone tapped me on the shoulder._

_"Hey, is your dance card full or are you going to let me spin you around a few times while my date is in the bathroom?" The familiar husky voice said above the music._

_Sitting up in my seat, I spun around and smiled instantly when my eyes landed on Derrick McHale standing there. It was hard to ignore the swarm of butterflies in my stomach when I watched him loosen his navy blue tie and undo the top two buttons on his white dress shirt._

_  
"Are you sure she won't mind?" I wondered when I stood up and took his outstretched hand._

_"I don't think so. Come on," he smiled before leading me to the dance floor._

_We chose a spot right in the middle of the crowd of our classmates, but when I locked my arms around Derrick's neck and looked into his sparkling blue eyes, it felt like he and I were the only ones in the room._

_Pins and needles rose up my back when he placed his hands on my waist. It was something that had never happened whenever Derrick and I have danced together at weddings or other dances in the past. I couldn't explain it, but every time he looked in my direction tonight, my entire body tingled with excitement._

_Perhaps it was because I was still upset about Josh and I was craving attention from anyone who would give it to me. Or it could have been the rum Molly and I had been sneaking into our drinks all night. Or it may have been because my friend Alexis, his date, was hanging onto him like a leech since they arrived. Even though I was happy for her for going with him after liking him for so long, there was a pang of jealousy that hit me whenever I saw them together._

_"Are you having a good time?" He wondered as we started to sway to the music._

_"Yeah. I can't believe we're at our senior prom, though. I keep getting a little sappy when I think about this being the end of high school."_

_"God, you're so cheesy," he commented and rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do at graduation?"_

_"I may cry, which like never happens," I admitted._

_"Remind me not to sit next to you, then."_

_"Shut up," I said as I rested my chin on his shoulder. I glanced over at Molly and her date dancing only a few feet away and smiled at her. She rose her eyebrows suggestively at Derrick when she saw me dancing with him and I don't know why. Ignoring her, I returned my attention to him. "Are you having fun with Alexis?"_

_"Yeah, I suppose," he shrugged. "We don't really have to talk much because we've been dancing a lot, so that's good."_

_"She likes you, you know," I told him._

_"I know. I think she believes we're going to hook up tonight, but I don't think I like her that way. To be honest, I only asked her because I knew you already had a date at the time."_

_"Oh," I smiled and was thankful he wasn't able to see my cheeks turn red. When we were younger, we always planned to be each other's dates to our last prom, but that was before I knew Josh Ryan existed._

__  
'And from the ballroom floor we are in celebration  
One good stretch before our hibernation  
Our dreams assured and we all, will sleep well  
Sleep well  
Sleep well  
Sleep well'

_A rush of heat shot from my core and spread to each of my limbs every time his fingers made the slightest movement against the fabric of my dress. It almost made me forget where I was. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the smell of his cologne and relished in the way his body felt pressed against mine._

_"Before I forget to tell you, you look really beautiful tonight," he murmured after a minute, his warm breath tickling my bare shoulder._

_My body was trembling so I held onto him tighter. I wanted to die right there on the dance floor. He had never said that to me before and those words sounded like heaven coming from his voice._

_"Thanks, so do you." When I realized what I had just said, I started laughing and picked my head up to look at him. "That's not what I meant."_

_"I know. Thank you," he smiled and licked his lips before his eyes slowly fell to my mouth._

_Everything around me got hazy while he stared at me, and even though we were still moving, it was like the world had stopped. All I could focus on were his lips and how badly I wanted to taste them._

_'I watch you spin around in your highest heels_  
You are the best one, of the best ones  
We all look like we feel  
You have stolen my  
You have stolen my'

_Derrick looked like he was having an internal argument with himself about whether or not he should do what he was thinking, but he quickly shook any reservations about kissing me out of his head and leaned in towards me._

_I sucked in a huge breath and closed my eyes._

_It almost felt like I was in a dream, but a dream would never feel this good. I was really about to kiss Derrick McHale. We were best friends. This wasn't supposed to happen. How did this happen?_

_'You have stolen my_  
You have stolen my heart  
I watch you spin around in your highest heels  
You are the best one, of the best ones  
We all look like we feel'

_Our lips were just centimeters from each other and I could almost taste the orange soda he had been drinking all night._

_Then for whatever reason, just before his mouth could meet mine, Alexis popped into my head and my eyes shot open. This wasn't fair to her. What if she saw us? She'd never speak to me again. This wasn't right._

_Without a word, I shook my head and backed away from Derrick. He called after me but I ran out of the ballroom as fast as I could, promising myself to never think of this moment as long as I lived._

\---

_Rachel: Present day:_

  
**Derrick and I returned** to his apartment after sightseeing and decided to order pizza for dinner and veg out on his couch all night. It felt good to sit around and do nothing with him just like we used to when he lived at home. It helped me feel a little more like myself and forget about my problems at home. Hanging out with Derrick is always so easy and he knows how to make me laugh like no one else can.

When he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the movie we were watching, my phone lit up for a Facebook notification. As I scrolled through my newsfeed to catch up on what my friends were doing, I saw a few photos posted by one of Chris' coworkers who I hadn't unfriended yet from a happy hour event his company hosted a couple days ago.

The second I spotted Chris in the background of a couple of them, my heart instantly started racing. This was the first time I saw him since I found him cheating on me. His clean, shaven face made him look ten years younger in contrast to the small beard he had been sporting since the beginning of the year and he was donned in a navy blue suit that I had never seen before. His blue eyes were brighter than ever and he was wearing a smile that could light up the dark room he was in.

He seemed happy and free, not like someone who just lost his fiancé. I wish I could feel that way, but it seemed impossible right now.

His arm was resting on the small of Emily's back in another picture and he was looking at her like there was no one else in the world. The knots in my stomach got tighter the longer I stared at the two of them. I hated her. She was always so nice to me whenever I saw her throughout our relationship, but I now knew it was all a coverup to mask the fact that she was screwing the man I was supposed to marry. I cringed at the thought of her laying next to Chris in bed, listening to his heart beat, falling asleep with him stroking her hair like he did to me so many times before.

A few tears spilled down my cheeks as I absentmindedly scrolled through the pictures of people I didn't know. I kept examining the photos to try to find Chris in the background. I felt like I should dissect every one of his facial expressions to see if he was genuinely happy or just faking it because he was out in public.

My detective work left me with nothing but more heartache. Dropping my phone to my lap, I buried my head in my hands and cried for maybe the hundredth time since this all happened. I really didn't want to cry anymore, but I couldn't control it.

"Rachel?" a gentle voice interrupted me in the midst of my crying.

When I looked up and saw Derrick standing in the doorway of his living room looking worried, I quickly wiped my eyes and stood up like he hadn't just seen me.

"Are you okay?" he softly wondered, inching towards me.

"I'm fine," I said as I got up and walked to his kitchen, avoiding all eye contact with him. I didn't want him to see me crying. I didn't like crying in front of anyone. Even Molly hadn't seen me cry over this whole Chris thing. The only person who had seen me shed a tear in the last couple weeks was my mother.

"No you're not. You were just laughing a few minutes ago. What happened?" He stopped and leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest as I rifled through my purse that was sitting on the breakfast bar.

"Nothing." My voice shook when I lifted my eyes to his and saw the concerned look on his face. "I need a cigarette."

"You don't smoke," he remarked.

I didn't acknowledge his comment. With trembling hands, I rummaged through his kitchen drawers looking for a lighter and when I found one in a junk drawer, I disappeared onto his balcony.

With the exception of doing pot a few times in high school and college, I hardly ever smoked, especially not cigarettes. But one of the housekeepers at work gave me a few from her pack when she saw how stressed out I was when I returned to work after I caught Chris cheating. I knew it was a bad habit, but I needed something to calm me down before I lost it.

Before I could even put the cigarette between my lips, Derrick snatched it from my fingers and tossed it into the courtyard below his building. "Don't do that. You know my grandma died from lung cancer," he reminded me as his eyes narrowed. "Talk to me."

When my eyes stung with tears again, I stared at my feet instead. I couldn't tell him what I saw without crying, so I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. Derrick's demeanor softened and he stepped closer when he saw a few tears spill onto my cheek.

"Aw Rach, come here." Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.

  
Even though I was thousands of miles from North Carolina, hugging Derrick felt like home. His familiar scent, the warmth of his body pressed against mine, the soothing vibrations of his voice rattling against my ear. He gave me comfort when all I wanted to do was scream.

"He's dating Emily," I explained after a minute, my voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"How do you know?" He asked, running his fingertips in circles on my back.

"They were in a picture together. They looked happy. I can just sense it," I sniffled and picked my head up.

  
Whether or not I was right about them, it still felt like I was being stabbed in the chest with a dull knife.

He gave me a sympathetic smile before brushing a few stray tears away from my cheeks. "If he's with her, then he's with her. There's nothing you can do about it. You hate him anyway, remember?"

"I know," I sighed. "I do hate him."

"Hey," he started when we pulled away. "Do you know what you need right now?"

"What?"

He leaned in close and cupped his hand over my ear and whispered, "Want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?"

The scruff on his face made my skin tingle with goosebumps so I pushed him away and laughed. "Please tell me you mean Dumb and Dumber."

"Oh I do." He motioned for us to go back inside. "Come on. I'll even let you dig into the tub of ice cream in the freezer. You'll be good as new in the morning."

"You're my favorite person ever, do you know that?" I told him when we walked into his apartment.

"Right back at you, Rach."


	7. I Hope You Step on a Lego

_Derrick:_

**"Shit! Ow! Hot!"** Rachel hissed as a pan clanged against a burner on my stove, waking me up out of a dead sleep.  
  
Picking my head up off the pillow, I looked at the clock and saw that it was only 8:30. I didn't want to get out of bed yet, but curiosity led me to wonder what the hell Rachel was doing.

When I finally got up and shuffled into my kitchen, Rachel was already dressed for the day and spreading butter on a few pieces of toast. "You made breakfast?" I exclaimed.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Hey! Yeah, I've been up for about an hour because I'm still on Eastern time, so after I got dressed I took the liberty of making some eggs and bacon. I also started a pot of coffee."

"Did you burn yourself or something?"

"Yeah. Some bacon grease splattered on me. Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"It's fine. We could have easily gone somewhere," I suggested when I saw the mess she made on my counter. "There's an IHOP down the street."

"Are you insulting my cooking ability, Mr. I-Used-To-Work-For-Bobby-Flay? I mean, I'm no classically trained chef or anything, but I am capable of making scrambled eggs."

"No! Not at all. I've just never seen you make anything besides boxed macaroni and cheese so I'm a little afraid right now."

"Screw you!" she exclaimed, pointing at me with the butter knife. "This is what I get for doing something nice."

"Fine. If it makes you happy, I'll give it a try." I poured myself a cup of coffee while she used a fork to put the bacon onto a plate. Even though I teased her about her cooking, I really appreciated the nice gesture. "You know, I don't remember the last time someone made me breakfast."

"That's probably because you don't let anyone sleep over here," she laughed, glancing at me from over her shoulder as she rinsed the pan off in the sink. "I'll bet you send your one night stands home as soon as you put your pants back on."

"That's not true!" I argued and carried the food to my small kitchen table in the corner of the room. "I give them at least ten minutes to get themselves put together before they have to get out."

"That's so nice of you," she sarcastically remarked.

"And I even pay for their Uber ride. I'm a total gentleman."

"Oh yeah. You are a real Prince Charming. It's no wonder you're still single." She took a sip from her coffee and sat down across from me.

"So, what do you want to do today?" I asked, changing the subject. "It's supposed to be in the high 80s which is unusual for early April."

"I don't know." She thought about it for a minute while she took a bite of food. "How far is San Diego from here?"

"A couple hours, probably closer to three with the traffic on the 405."

"Oh. Never mind then, we'd need a whole day," she sighed as she glanced at the time on my oven.

"A whole day for what?" I wondered.

"The San Diego Zoo! I was watching this documentary on The Discovery Channel a couple weeks ago about this family of pandas in China and they were so cute, I was dying!"

"Oh here we go." I rolled my eyes when I saw the sentimental look on her face.

She had been obsessed with pandas since we saw them at the zoo in Atlanta when we were kids. She got a stuffed one for Christmas when we were ten and slept with it even up through college. She probably still has it in storage somewhere.

"What?" She argued and threw a piece of egg at me. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not," I laughed. "I just think it's cute how nerdy you are."

"I hope you step on a Lego," she said before getting up from the table.

\---

_Rachel:_

**"I'll take this one.** Is it okay if I just wear it out?" I asked the sales girl when I stepped out of the dressing room at the surf shop Derrick and I stopped at. Since we decided to check out Santa Monica for the day, I needed to get a bathing suit. I was excited to find one that not only was very comfortable, but also on sale.

"Sure. Just give me the tag and I'll ring you up," she told me with a friendly smile before returning her attention to Derrick.

She was engrossed in whatever he was saying. Based on the way she was smiling at him, I could tell he was trying to charm the pants off her. It wasn't surprising that he was hitting on her; she looked just like Kate Upton, who had been Derrick's celebrity crush for the longest time.

He was casually leaning on the checkout counter and looking at the girl like she was the most interesting person in the world. I knew he didn't give a damn about whatever she was saying to him though. He was probably trying to guess the color of her underwear.

She playfully touched his arm and laughed at whatever witty remark he had just made to her before I approached them.

After handing her the tag from the suit, I dug out my credit card and set it in front of her. While I waited for her to punch some numbers into her computer, I gave Derrick a side eye. His eyes were fixated on the girl's chest like he was under a trance. But when he noticed me staring at him, he snapped out of it, stood up straight and pretended to look at some magnets on a circular display.

"Do you want a bag to carry the clothes you were wearing?" She offered when she noticed me trying to shove my t-shirt and jeans into my purse.

"That would be great. Thank you," I smiled.

"I just need to go get some more from the back," she announced when she realized she was out of bags.

When she walked out from behind the counter and towards the back of the store, Derrick spun around so he could get a good look at her ass.

"Sorry. Did I interrupt while you were trying to get laid?" I quietly said to him.

"What's wrong with that?" He laughed when he turned back around to face me.

"Nothing, except for the fact that she's probably like 16."

"Actually she told me she just turned 18," he smiled proudly. "She's a very intelligent and bright young woman."

"I'm sure she's lovely. She's also ten years younger than you," I reminded him, a hint of jealousy coming out in my tone.

"18 is totally legal," he argued.

"You disgust me," I grimaced.

"Here you go," the girl said as she handed me a bag. While I put my clothes inside it, she wrote her number down on a blank piece of paper and handed it to Derrick. "In case I can't make it to your restaurant this week, here's this."

"You better make it. I'll have a special table ready for when you come," he told her with a wink before we both walked out of the shop.

After grabbing a couple towels and the small cooler from the car, Derrick and I walked a couple blocks from the parking lot to the beach. Then we picked out a spot to sit not far from the pier so we could people watch.

"Are you really going to hook up with that girl?" I asked Derrick once we sat down on our towels.

He removed his t-shirt and sat back on his hands as he contemplated my question. "I don't think so. Even though she was my type, she was a little too young for me."

"I could have told you that."

"You did," he said, looking at me from over his sunglasses. "That's why I'm not going to."

"Well, I'm glad you have some decency left in you," I told him as I rummaged through my bag to find the tube of sunscreen I brought with me. Once I put some on my arms and legs, I set the tube next to Derrick.

"Can you rub some on my back real quick?" I asked him as I moved my hair to the side.

"Yeah, sure," he replied and crawled to sit behind me. 

Without warning, he squirted some directly onto my back. I jumped at first because it was so cold, but the second he touched me, my skin felt like it was on fire. Derrick's strong hands softly rubbed up and down my entire back as he massaged the lotion into my skin. After a few seconds, I closed my eyes and found myself getting lost in his touch.

"You're not like, jealous of that girl, are you?" He wondered, causing my eyes to shoot open.

"No! Why would I be? I'm just looking out for you, that's all. Young girls like that aren't marriage material."

His hands immediately stopped. "When's the last time you spoke to my mom?"

"She messaged me on Facebook to see how I was doing like a month ago. Why?" I turned my head to look at him. He seemed a little annoyed all of a sudden and returned to sit next to me.

"You sounded just like her. Did she tell you to nag me about my love life? Because you're doing an awful lot of that today," he commented as he wiped the excess sunscreen from his hands onto his arms.

His mom had been trying to marry Derrick off since he graduated college. Whenever he visits his parents at their house in Florida, she introduces him to women she thinks would be perfect for him, but he never wants anything to do with them.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I'm the last person who should be nagging anyone about their love life when mine is non existent."

"I get it enough from her and my sister. I don't need it from you too." He looked off in the distance at some people surfing in the water then turned to me. "I'll tell you what I tell them: when the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with finally comes around, I'll marry her. Until then, I'm just going to enjoy myself."

\---

_Derrick:_

**After grabbing dinner** in Malibu, Rachel and I headed back to my apartment so she could get her things together for her flight home in the morning. While she took a shower, I plopped down on my couch and turned on the Hurricanes game. They were playing against the Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and I didn't want to miss it.

In the middle of a Penguins power play, Andre called to let me know how everything was going at the restaurant this weekend while I was off. I was glad I didn't miss much; it was nice to have a couple days where I didn't have to worry about food orders or broken ticket printers, and knowing that Mitchell had everything covered in the back of the house put my mind at ease.

"So Rach is leaving tomorrow?" He asked after filling me in on everything.

"Uh-huh. I'm taking her to the airport in the morning," I told him with my eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Did you two have fun together? I saw the pictures she posted on Facebook earlier."

"Yeah, we did. We went to the beach and hung out on the boardwalk in Santa Monica today. It was a good time."

"That's good. Have you told her that you have a thing for her yet?"

"What?" I exclaimed, turning my attention away from the TV. I lowered my voice in case Rachel could hear me from the bathroom and said, "I don't have a thing for her."

"You definitely do."

"I do not," I argued, my face heating up.

"I've known you both for like ten years! I've seen the way you look at her. Yes you do. And I really think you should tell her," he suggested.

"Why?"

"Because who knows what will happen when she gets home. Girls like Rachel Wallace don't stay single for long. Chris could come crawling back begging for forgiveness or someone else could come along and sweep her right off her feet."

"That's not going to happen," I said, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.

"No? Have you forgotten how easily Rachel falls in love? Someone could smile at her a certain way and she'll start picturing what their kids will look like."

I nervously laughed, knowing he was right. "Then what do you suggest I do, oh wise one?"

"Kiss her and see what happens."

"I can't do that," I said, shaking my head even though he couldn't see me.

Andre groaned. "You don't want to be screwing college girls forever, do you?"

"No. Not really."

"Then stop stalling and make your move on the one person you actually want to be with, you chicken shit!"

"Uh, I gotta go," I quickly told him when Rachel walked in. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Rachel shuffled into my kitchen and started looking through the cabinets for something. "Hey, you don't have tortilla chips, do you?" she asked when she saw I was off the phone.

After checking on the game, I stood up and join her. "I think so. Why?"

"I saw a girl with nachos on the boardwalk earlier and haven't been able to stop thinking about them."

"There should be a bag in the cabinet above the stove," I chuckled and opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of Gatorade; my mouth felt dry all of a sudden.

"There they are," she exclaimed and pulled the bag out. "Do you want a plate?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks." I took a huge gulp of my drink, then after wiping my mouth, I leaned against the counter while she searched my refrigerator for cheese.

Replaying the conversation with Andre in my head, I nervously started peeling the label on the bottle. This whole thing sat on my shoulders like a 200 ton weight.

What if he was right? What if Rachel went home tomorrow and bumped into her next future husband? If I wanted to see if there was anything beyond our friendship, I had to take this chance now or I'd regret it.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she was sprinkling cheese over her plate.

"Nothing. Why?"

"You're clenching your jaw.," she noted. "You only do that when there's something on your mind."

Trying to play it off casually, I shook my head and took a few sips of my drink. "Just something Andre said."

She chuckled. "What crazy idea does he have now? Remember when he wanted to stay open 24 hours a day?"

"Let me ask you something," I said, ignoring her question. A rush of adrenaline hit me like a freight train and propelled me to stand up.

"What is it?"

Staring at her, I thought of the right words for a moment. "Hypothetically speaking," I started. "What would you do if...I mean, have you ever thought about..."

"What?" There was confusion and a hint of curiosity setting on her face when she turned to look at me.

"Fuck it," I breathed before closing the distance between us.

There was no need for words to tell her how I felt, so I didn't say anything else. I placed my hands on her cheeks and without hesitation, pressed my lips onto hers.


	8. More Shallow Than a Puddle

_Rachel:_

**My skin felt like** it was being pricked with a thousand needles all at once when I realized what Derrick was doing. To say it knocked the wind out of me was an understatement. I had no idea where this was coming from when just several hours ago he was coming onto someone else.

Even though the kiss didn't last more than a few seconds, it was as if hours had passed when he pulled away to study my reaction. He didn't say anything at first, but his blue eyes were wide and hopeful as he waited for me to give him some kind of response. But as fast as my heart was racing, I couldn't move or speak. I was in total shock that he just did that.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he breathed after a few seconds of silence. He took a defeated step back and turned to face the sink. "I know I shouldn't have done that."

"Derrick, hey." I slowly inched towards him when my brain decided to start working again and touched his shoulder.

"I'm such a fucking idiot," he laughed at himself as he dug his closed fists into the counter in front of him.

He shouldn't have felt bad for what just happened, because I certainly didn't. In fact, I wanted more. I wanted a lot more. That kiss, as short and simple as it was, ignited a fire inside me that I had been trying to avoid for the last ten years since the night of our prom. There was no running away from it anymore.

"You're not an idiot," I murmured as I tugged his arm so that he'd face me. "Don't be sorry."

Before I could think, I licked my lips, stood on my toes and kissed him back like it was the last kiss I'd ever have in my life. I wrapped my arms around his neck and channeled all my anger and pain from the last couple weeks into that kiss. Every emotion I'd ever known hit me all at once.

As the kiss deepened, Derrick pulled me closer to him, wrapping his strong arms around me and a subtle moan escaped him. I didn't know he was capable of making a sound like that, but it was by far the sexiest sound I think I've ever heard.

His eager tongue, still cold and fruity from the drink he just had, brushed against my bottom lip as if asking for permission to slip into my mouth. I parted my lips and welcomed it with pleasure and rocked my hips against his. This was all too much to process. I was glad he was holding me, otherwise I would have passed out.

When I felt him grow hard beneath the fabric of his jeans, I couldn't help but think about how long it had been since I last shaved my legs and whether or not I was wearing cute underwear, just in case this led to us sleeping together.

Who was I kidding? This was definitely going to lead to us sleeping together. You don't kiss someone like that and not have sex with them. I had been starved for some kind of affection for the longest time - even before Chris and I broke up - and Derrick was the perfect person to give it to me.

As our tongues intertwined, I lifted myself to sit on the cool granite surface of the countertop and wrapped my legs around his waist. His fingers quickly found my thighs, leaving goosebumps in their path as they danced over the bare skin below my shorts. There was no doubt in my mind that he had the same thoughts as me about where this was headed.

"I want you," I confidently whispered before I lowered my mouth to his neck. He groaned in response and lifted his head to the ceiling as my tongue drew circles on the skin below his ear.

 _What the hell?_ I thought to myself. _Am I really about to have sex with Derrick McHale? How did this happen? And why have I missed out on this for so long?_

Just as I reached for the button on his jeans to take this a step further, he made it clear that he wasn't ready when pushed my hand away.

"Wait, Rach. Wait a second," he exhaled as he rested his forehead against mine for a moment.

"Are you okay?" I figured he needed time to gather himself, noting how flushed his face was.

He took a step back and shook his head at the floor. "I don't think this is such a good idea."

\---

_Derrick:_

**"What? Why not?"** Rachel's desperate brown eyes sent a dart right through my chest when I looked up at her.

"I just...I can't do this. I'm sorry." I grabbed my Gatorade bottle off the counter before walking into the living room to shut off the TV.

As much as I wanted to keep going, I knew deep down what we were doing was wrong and I had to put a stop to it.

"Why not?" she asked, sounding a little agitated as she slid off the counter and joined me in the living room. "You kissed me!"

"I know. And I'm sorry," I softly said, hoping my tone would help put out the fire starting in her eyes.

She stood there dumbfounded, tapping her toes on the floor. I could tell she was trying to figure out what just happened but couldn't quite piece it together.

"You know, I don't understand you, Derrick," she started as she placed her hands on her hips. "I mean, you sleep with practically every girl under the sun. Why not me?"

"Because you're not like every girl under the sun!" I yelled, annoyed that she basically just accused me of being a man whore.

Her cheeks were turning a bright shade of red and I knew I didn't want to go down this road with her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm too old for your standards? Not hot enough? My tits are too small?" She disappeared back into the kitchen and threw the bag of tortilla chips back into the cabinet.

"You really think I'm that shallow?" I spat.

She rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement. "Give me a break, Derrick. I saw you today. You're more shallow than a puddle. You'll sleep with a girl with no brains as long as her ass looks good in a pair of jeans."

Failing to acknowledge her spiteful comment, I turned around and stared at the night sky outside my sliding glass door so I could gather my thoughts.

Just because I couldn't sleep with Rachel, it didn't mean I wasn't attracted to her. I wanted her. I wanted her so fucking bad that it took every ounce of energy to hold back from doing something I'd regret in the morning.

But sleeping together wouldn't have been fair to either of us; not when she's so vulnerable coming from a serious breakup that only happened two weeks ago. How was I supposed to know if she genuinely wanted me or was just using me to heal her wounds?

"I think you should just go to bed," I finally said through gritted teeth.

She didn't say anything right away. She only exhaled a frustrated breath. I watched her reflection as she picked her purse up from my kitchen table and dug through it to look for her phone.

"Fine. I'll call a cab to take me to the airport in the morning."

Without another word, she stomped to my guest room and slammed the door behind her.


	9. I Guess I’m an Asshole

_Rachel:_

**"Hey, it's time to get up!"** Derrick flicked on the light in the bedroom at 8am, jarring me out of my horrible night's sleepI’ll . I think I managed to get about 4 hours after tossing and turning all night because I was trying to wrap my head around why he ended things last night when he's the one who kissed me in the first place.

"I fucking hate you so much right now." I grumbled at him.

"Sorry." He let out a sleepy chuckle and I wanted to smack him for being so adorable when I was still mad at him.

He looked around the room, noticing the mess I made tearing through my suitcase to look for my stupid phone charger last night. I was too angry to deal with anything, so I didn't bother putting my things back where they had been neatly packed.

"We should get a move on if you want to make it through security and not miss your flight. I know you don't want to be stuck here any longer than you have to be." He muttered that last statement under his breath, but it was just loud enough for me to hear.

"I told you last night that I'm calling a cab," I dryly stated when I sat up.

"No you're not," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you leave like that. The least I can do is give you a ride to the damn airport."

He started putting my clothes back into my suitcase, but stopped when he saw the small black ring box I brought with me. He released an annoyed sigh through his nose as he opened it, revealing the 3 ½ carat diamond I had only taken off my finger a few days before I got to California.

I don't know what made me bring it. It's not like carrying it with me would change what Chris did. It was more of a painful reminder than anything else.

Derrick set the box aside and then quickly put the rest of my stuff in the bag. "Are you wearing your pajamas to the airport?" He looked up at me, wondering if he should zip the suitcase.

"No. I'll change." I softly replied.

"Here." He set the ring box on the bed. "You'll probably want to carry that thing in your pocket. I'm sure it costs more than my car."

"Thanks." I gave a half-hearted smile before taking it from him.

We were pretty silent for the remainder of the morning. There was still a huge lingering cloud of tension in the air after our argument last night. The only conversation we really had was to decide on where to stop for coffee before he had to drop me off.

I couldn't help but notice how hard he was gripping  the steering wheel as we got close to the airport terminal.

"You said Delta, right?" He asked as he followed the signs that led us to where I had to check in.

"Yeah," I quietly answered, staring blankly out the passenger side window.

"Look Rach, about last night," he started as he waited for a handful of pedestrians to cross in front of the car.

Was he really doing this now? Before I had to get on a plane and travel across the entire country? He had all morning to open his mouth and say something about this. If there was one thing I learned over the course of this weekend, it was that Derrick McHale was the champion of Bad Timing.

Holding my hand up in the air, I cut him off. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You get why I couldn't be your rebound, right?" he asked, ignoring my statement as he pulled up to the sidewalk behind a shuttle van.

Rocking my head back in shock, I tried to focus my attention on the baggage attendant outside my window instead of how much I wanted to punch Derrick for that comment.

How dare he think I'd do such a thing? After twenty plus years of friendship, if he thought I'd use him like that, he didn't know me as well as I thought. This whole thing was seriously making me question our entire friendship.

"What? My rebound?" I shouted, my fists balling up in anger. "What makes you think last night had anything to do with Chris? I told you the other night, I'm over him."

He shook his head and turned to me when he put the car in park. "This has everything to do with him. You wanted payback. You wouldn't have kissed me back if this was any other time."

"That's not true and you know it!" I spat.

He once again ignored me, only making me more angry at him.

"As much as you say you're over him, I know for a fact you're not. For Christ's sakes, Rachel you're still carrying the fucking ring with you." He paused to watch an older couple taking luggage out of a black car in front of us. "I knew kissing you was a stupid idea."

He swallowed hard and looked at me like he was trying to make sense of what he'd just said. My first inclination was to open the door and run as fast as I could into the airport, but his steely eyes kept me frozen in my seat.

"Then why the hell did you?" I choked on the lump building in my throat and blinked away the tears stinging my eyes.

"I have no idea," he breathed. "I guess I'm an asshole."

While I agreed he was an asshole - a giant one, I knew he was lying to me. He kissed me for a reason, but trying to figure out his intentions was beyond my brain capacity at the moment. My head was moving in a million different directions; I already had enough to deal with at home besides whatever this thing with Derrick was.

"Okay, I'm gonna go," I decided when I'd had enough of this. "I don't think we should talk for a little while." With that, I opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk.

He turned around to look at me when I opened the back door to get my bags. "That's what you really want?"

"Yes." I glared at him. "I need some time to clear my head and put my life back together. This...thing between us should be the furthest from my mind right now."

He nodded in understanding. "Okay. I guess you can call me whenever you're ready. Have a safe trip."

"Yeah. Bye." With a small wave, I grabbed my things and headed into the airport.

\---

_Derrick:_

**Leaning my elbow** up against the window, I rested my head on my clenched fist as I drove away from the airport.

In all the years we've known each other, Rachel and I have never had a fight like this before. There were a few times when we've threatened to not speak to each other but it was always over something stupid. It was never as serious as this. There was a possibility that our friendship would never be the same again. Rachel was naturally a forgiving person, and I could only hope she'd be able to look past everything that happened in time.

When I was almost on the freeway, my phone rang from my center console. I noticed from the picture I had stored with the contact information that it was my sister calling. She and I normally talked every Sunday when she got home from her shift at the hospital where she worked, but that wasn't til later in the day so I was surprised she was calling me now.

"Hey. What, are you off today?" I answered as I pressed the button on my steering wheel to take the call.

"Uncle Derrick, what did the poop say to the fart?" giggled my 5 year old nephew, Owen.

As I took a sip of my coffee, I almost spit it out all over myself when I laughed along with him. I imagined he took my sister's phone when she wasn't looking and had been practicing this joke in his head all morning just waiting for the right moment to call me and say it.

"I don't know, buddy, what did he say?" I asked like I had never heard the joke before.

"You blow me away!" He laughed so hard he probably had tears in his eyes.

"Haha! That's a good one!" I hollered then thought of one he may not have heard before. "Why did Tigger stick his head down the toilet?"

"Why?"

"Because be was looking for Pooh."

Along with his laughter, I heard my sister's voice in the background asking him what he was doing and then he told her the joke I'd just said. After a few seconds, Casey came on the phone.

"Derrick?"

"I'm here," I announced. "Just telling your son inappropriate bathroom jokes."

"Yeah. Thanks for that. He's going through a poop obsession. I hope it doesn't last long. He didn't wake you up, did he?"

"No. I had to take Rach to the airport and I'm driving home."

Casey knew that I had a thing for Rachel for the longest time; it was hard to sneak anything by her, so I was sure she would have something to say about what happened last night.

"What are you doing?" I wondered when I heard a lot of commotion in the background. She never got a minute to herself unless the kids were with their dad, which wasn't very often. I often felt bad for her, especially since our parents lived in Florida and couldn't help her out.

"Elena has a couple friends over and they wanted to go camping in the backyard last night, but it was raining so I set up the tent in the living room. Of course she got mad at me because according to her, I can control the weather and made it rain on purpose. So now I'm the devil," she laughed. "After her friends leave, we have to go get groceries and then buy Elena a new backpack for school tomorrow because hers broke. God forbid she goes to school with a broken backpack. She thinks she'll be the laughing stock at her school."

She paused and took a frustrated breath.

I couldn't imagine having two kids under the age of ten, let alone essentially having to raise them by myself. My soon-to-be-ex brother-in-law, Rob, is a worthless piece of shit. Even before they separated, he never helped my sister with anything. When she decided to go to nursing school after Elena was born, she had to get dinner made every night while he sat on the couch doing nothing, clean up the house, take care of the baby during the day and then find time to do her school work on top of working a part time job at night to pay for her tuition. How she managed to keep her sanity after all that plus having a second kid is beyond me.

"Anyway, how are things with you?" She asked. "Did Rachel have fun on her visit? She didn't tell me about her wedding when I saw her a few days ago, but her friend Molly called me the other day. I can't believe what an asshole that Chris guy is."

"Yeah. It sucks," I sighed, feeling the knot in my stomach tighten at the mention of her name.

"You'll probably talk to her before I get a chance to, so let her I'm sorry."

"I doubt that," I told her with a slight chuckle. "She's kinda not talking to me right now."

"What? But didn't you just drop her off?" She laughed at first, but her tone of voice quickly became stern and sounding a little like our mom's whenever we got in trouble as kids. "What happened? What did you do, Derrick?"

I blew out a puff of air from my cheeks as I got off the freeway and said, "I kissed her last night."

"Oh my god. You didn't." I could practically see the second hand embarrassment on her face from where I was sitting.

"Yeah. I did. And it turned into this big fight and now she is giving me the silent treatment. I can't say that I blame her though. I said some things to her that I shouldn't have."

"Oh Derrick. I love you, but you're an idiot when it comes to women. You can't kiss someone who's literally just had their heart broken. Especially not someone you've known your whole life. It just complicates everything. Now the next time you see her there's going to be this giant elephant in the room."

"I know. I fucked up big time. This is what I get for listening to Andre when he told me to just go for it," I sighed.

"That was your first mistake, listening to the advice of someone who hasn't had a serious relationship in who knows how long," she commented. "Granted I'm not any better because I'm in the middle of a divorce, but at least I know how a woman's brain operates. Just give her some time, she'll get over it eventually."

"I hope so."


End file.
